per capita

adverb or adjective

per cap·​i·​ta (ˌ)pər-ˈka-pə-tə 

1

: per unit of population : by or for each person

the highest income per capita of any state in the union

2

: equally to each individual

Synonyms of per capita

• a shot
• each
• per
• a pop

Examples of per capita in a Sentence

we expect the students to receive less funding per capita this year due to a marked increase in the school-age population

Recent Examples on the Web

The dataset included 38 key indicators of a compassionate spirit, ranging from the share of sheltered homeless people to volunteering hours per capita and the percentage of income donated to charity. —Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2025

Gun murders rare Until Sunday, Australia had decades of proof that tough gun laws can make a country safer with one of the world’s lowest gun homicide rates, per capita. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025

The latest incident comes amid a backdrop of persistently high homicide rates in South Africa, which recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024—a figure translating to over 70 killings a day and placing the nation among those with the highest per capita murder rates globally. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025

In California, Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire have fewer community college health training slots per capita, while areas with higher enrollment rates include the Central Coast, Kern County, San Joaquin Valley and farther north state regions. —Cathie Anderson updated December 4, Sacbee.com, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, by heads

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

per capita

adverb or adjective

per cap·​i·​ta (ˌ)pər-ˈkap-ət-ə 

: by or for each person

per capita income

Legal Definition

per capita

adverb or adjective

per cap·​i·​ta pər-ˈka-pə-tə 

1

: equally to each individual

all property to pass to the descendants per capita

—used of a method of distributing an especially intestate estate compare per stirpes

Note: Per capita distribution of an estate provides each descendant with an equal share of the estate's assets regardless of the degree of his or her kinship. Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc., all receive equal shares.

2

: per unit of population : by or for each individual

a high per capita tax burden

Etymology

Medieval Latin, by heads